Birthday Surprise
by bamkam
Summary: Draco Malfoy is going through a lot before his nineteenth birthday. Ron is there to make it all better. DMRW


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. J.K. Rowling does.

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**Birthday Surprise**

It was thirteen months until my nineteenth birthday when Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort. I was fighting on the Light Side and was one of the few people—other then Granger and Weasley—to have witnessed the event. Weasley had saved my life that day.

It was six months until my nineteenth birthday when Ginny and Potter married. The wedding was larger yet secluded. Ron was the best man and I was invited by Ginny. We acknowledged each other, but nothing more.

It was three months until my nineteenth birthday when Weasley and I were forced to work together in the Ministry of Magic. Over time, our bitter feud had slowly turned into a small friendship. Ron and I were soon on first-name basis with each other.

It was two months until my nineteenth birthday when my father, Lucius Malfoy, was captured and given the Dementor's Kiss. While the rest of the Wizarding World celebrated his "death", I was at the Ministry of Magic with Ron. I was breaking things left and right out of rage while Ron was attempting to stop me. He eventually had to wrap his arms around me to calm me down. He whispered soothing words into my ear. I allowed him.

It was one month until my nineteenth birthday when my mother started to hate me. To her, I was a constant reminder of her husband—of the man who she had loved with all her heart but had left her too early. Daily she told me that she hated me, and daily I started to die. Yet, Ron was the only one who noticed. Or rather, the only one who cared.

It was fifteen days until my nineteenth birthday when I had learned that my mother had committed suicide. She had poisoned herself. My mother was found sitting in my father's favourite chair, holding his cane in her limp hands. Later, I found myself at Ron's flat, enveloped in his strong arms and sobbing into his shoulder. I may have been ruining his favourite shirt, but he didn't care.

It was seven days until my nineteenth birthday when a sudden realization had come to me. I was talking to Ron at the time as we were getting ready to leave, and I thought about how easy—how _normal_ it was to talk to him. It wasn't until I had gotten home did I realize the reason why. I was in love with Ron Weasley…and I was completely fine with it.

It was six days until my nineteenth birthday when _it_ happened. I was finishing up some paperwork and Ron was nowhere to be seen. I had heard the familiar squeak of the door opening and was about to turn around when I felt a hand on my hip. It was Ron (I could see his bright red hair out of the corner of my eye). He muttered something but I didn't catch it. I was too distracted with the hand that was currently resting on my hip. I saw Ron lean in and my breath caught in my throat. I felt his soft lips brush gently against my cheek and I nearly fainted. And when he had gone, I desperately wished for him to come back.

It was three days until my nineteenth birthday when I finally started to read the Daily Prophet again. The front cover had a large picture of Ron on it with the word 'MISSING' above it in bold letters. The newspaper said that he had disappeared on twenty-third of April—six days before my birthday. I stopped reading the Daily Prophet after that.

It was the night of my nineteenth birthday when Ron Weasley had arrived on my doorstep, cold and nervous, asking if he could come in. It was that night when everything had changed…and maybe—finally—for the good.

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"Weasley." 

It wasn't until after I had murmured red-head's last name did I realize my mistake. Ron and I aren't enemies anymore. We shouldn't be calling each other by our last names when we're on first name-basis. It just wasn't right with our type of friendship. I saw Ron flinch and I mentally kicked myself. _It was accidental! _My mind shouted. _I didn't mean to call you that! It was from pure shock!_ I wanted to explain to him, but my mouth would not open for me.

"Oh, h-hey, erm, Draco. I had just remembered that it was your birthday today and I just came over to give you this." I wordlessly took the small neatly-wrapped present that Ron held out. My lips would still not work. "W-well, I guess I'll just be going…" He turned around and started walking away. I watched him, head down and hands in his pants pockets, and mentally kicked myself for not saying something. _Say it now! Say it now!_

"Ron!" I suddenly heard myself shout. The red head twisted around and stared at me, hopeful. The expression on his face startled me and threw me off guard. I desperately stumbled for the words that I were going to use, but they had already disappeared. "T-thank you."

I watched, heart-broken, as the look on Ron's face quickly turned from hopeful to despondent. He quickly turned back around and started walking away from me again. _You dumbass! You shouldn't have said that!_

I gave a soft cry as I attempted to find the right words. Ron was getting farther away from me and this only added to the pressure. _Ron._ Several sentences formed in my head, but none of them were the right ones. _Ron! _None of them would be able to help me.

"Ron!" I suddenly heard myself shout. I watched for the second time as his body turned toward me, and as he quickly wiped his face of any tears before staring me in the eye. I watched as Ron rapidly grew closer and closer until I collided into him, sobbing like crazy. I watched as he looked down at me with so much relief in his eyes as he pulled my head up to look at him.

However, I didn't watch as Ron wrapped his arms around me. I didn't watch Ron lifted my chin up. I also didn't watch when Ron kissed me for the longest time. With so much force—with so much passion—that he nearly knocked the two of us to the ground.

I may not have watched, but I most certainly did feel.

We stayed there, in front of my house, clutching each other. We didn't want to let each other go—no—we were too _afraid_ to let each other go. Neither of us wanted to be alone. Not now.

"Hey, Draco," Ron said, breaking the silence. I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"What?"

"You know, now you owe me _two _things."

I stared up at him with a 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me' look on my face. Sighing, I asked, "And what do you mean by that?"

"Well, not only do you owe me your life, you also owe me a new shirt. You ruined this one." He pointed down at his 'ruined' Chudley Cannons shirt and gave me a silly grin.

I playfully hit him on the arm. "Hey, it's not my fault! _You _were the one who had saved me from those Death Eaters! You could've just left me there to die, but _no_. You had to go and save me! So it's really your fault. And I did not ruin your shirt!" Ron laughed and pulled me against him.

"Whatever you say, Draco." He swooped down and kissed me firmly on the lips. "But aren't you glad that I _did_ save you?"

"Mm, yeah. I guess I am." I jokingly whispered as I rested my head against his shoulder. _I never want to let him go. _I allowed a small smile grace my lips as I closed my eyes. _Not now._

_Not ever._

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I just decided to put the two chapters together. When seperated, they didn't sound right to me, so I mized them together. 


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